The Bureau of Customs (BOC) filed four (4) criminal complaints against three (3) rice traders on September 29, 2023, following recent seizures and investigations in various warehouses in Bulacan.

In August 2023, BOC agents uncovered unlawfully imported sacks of rice in Bulacan, valued at more than P260 million. Upon establishing probable cause, the BOC issued warrants of seizure and detention against the subject warehouses for alleged violations of Customs laws, rules, and regulations.

Subsequently, on September 29, 2023, the BOC, led by the Bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers, presented its findings and filed appropriate criminal charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against the owners and proprietors of the warehouses for alleged rice smuggling.

The four criminal complaints involve violations of Republic Act (R.A.) 10863, also known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), and R.A. 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law. Among the total cases filed, three (3) pertain to large scale smuggling which violates R.A. 10845, known as the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.